Respiration apparatus



Dec. 5, 1933.

A. H. L. CHRISTENSEN 1,938,483

RESPIRATION APPARATUS Filed y 14, 1950 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Wen/or @rwtem1933. A. H. L. CHRISTENSEN 1,938,483

RESP IRATION APPARATUS I Filed May 14, 1930 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 firen/arJ7. 171E C/zrelyZf-enaew,

May 9k Patented Dec. 5, 1933 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE Germany,assig'nor to Lubeck, Germany Otto Heinrich Driiger,

Application May 14, 1930, Serial'No. 452,473,

and

8 Claims.

The invention relates to a respiration apparatus with automatic nutrientgas supply controlled by the lungs. With such apparatuses, the nutrientgas supply has hitherto been controlled bya movable wall in the form ofan auxiliary respiration sack or a diaphragm chamber situated in arespiration container (for example, a respiration sack), or in anauxiliary respiration container, the said wall being externally underthe action of the atmospheric pressure, and internally under the actionof pressure variations, caused by the respiration of the wearer of theapparatus, in the air circuit of the respiration apparatus. Suchapparatuses are subject to the danger of an excess charge of nitrogen,since with oxygen which is not pure,

but contains nitrogen, in particular with the use of so-calledindustrial oxygen, as is used in oxygen welding and cutting, thequantity of air present in the apparatus becomes gradually enriched withnitrogen, or when the apparatus is fully respirated with atmosphericair. The nitrogen is not used up in the lungs in breathing, but isbreathed out again unconsumed and is also not absorbed in the purifyingcartridges.

The consequence of this over-charge of nitrogen is that the quantity ofoxygen in the apparatus becomes constantly smaller, so that there is alack of oxygen for the wearer of the apparatus since the lung automaticdevice in consequence of the lack of low pressure necessary for itsactuation, is no longer sufilciently actuated. The excess of nitrogenmay finally become so large that hardly anything but nitrogen circulatesin the apparatus. Movements of the lung automatic devices then ceaseentirely, as no reductions of the quantity of gas present in the circuitcan any longer take place, and the wearer of the apparatus dies fromwant of oxygen.

In order to overcome this danger from nitro-i gen, steps have been takenwith lung automatic apparatuses of the kind described to add to the lungautomatic oxygen dosing, a further continuous dosing of a definiteamount. In this way, whilst a supply of oxygen continuously took place,the arrangement had the defect of a certain loss of oxygen, as thisoxygen supply exceeded the requirements in oxygen when not working oronly lightly working.

The invention is based on the idea that in a lung automatic apparatus ofthe kind mentioned even when only nitrogen or practically only whennitrogen circulates, that is, no reduction of the quantity of air takesplace suihcient for the working of the lung automatic dein Germany May25, 1929 vice, the lungs circulate as before a certain quantity ofrespiration air. This quantity is dependent on the depth of therespiration, its speed or its dynamic pressure is dependent on thestrength of the respiration, its frequency, however, on the frequency ofthe breaths. According to the invention, contrary to known lungautomatic devices, it is exactly this respiration air circulation whichis used to control the lung automatic device. This takes place in suchmanner that the supply of oxygen corresponds as in the knownapparatuses, to the consumption of oxygen, while the danger of thenitrogen is completely excluded since the supply of oxygen no longerdepends upon a reduction in volume of the gas content of the apparatus.The invention therefore provides that the controlling device of thenutrient gas supply is periodically in such manner actuated by theenergy of flow of the gas content of the apparatus moved by the actionof the lungs that the nutrient gas quantity supplied is in directdependence on the frequency, duration and strength of the inhaling andexhaling breaths. This can be attained by a movable throttling devicebeing connected in the path traversed by the gas content of theapparatus during the respiration of its wearer, which throttling deviceopens and keeps open the apparatus to the nutrient gas supply as soonand as long as a force overcoming its resistance is exerted on thethrottling device by the movement of the gas content of theapparatus.Preferably, the throttling device is formed by a flap valve seated onthe control member of the apparatus to the nutrient gas supply.Furthermore, the throttling device or the flap valve can at the sametime .serve as inhaling and exhaling valve.

. Apart from the fact that with the new apparatus a basically differentway is taken, compared with the known way, to effect a lung automaticsupply of oxygen, with this apparatus the nitrogen danger is avoidedwithout it being necessary to add to the apparatus a continuous supplyof oxygen, as previously. The loss of oxygen connected with this, istherefore obviated and the apparatus works, although it is no longersubject to the nitrogen danger, as economically with oxygen as theprevious lung automatic devices which were subject to the nitrogendanger. With the apparatus according to the invention, nutrient gas issupplied with each breath, the quantity varying with the extent of thelung activity, that is, with the strength and the frequency of therespirations. A dependence of the nutrient gas supply on the degree offullness of 2. the respiration container, (respiration sack) does not,on the contrary, exist.

The drawings show examples of carrying out the invention.

The respiration apparatus according to Fig. 1 shows the oxygen container1 with shut-off valve 2, and pressure reducing valve 3, the respirationsack 4, and the carbonic acid absorption cartridge 5. The respirationsack 4 and the cartridge 5 are connected by a tube 6 in which isinserted a respiration valve chamber '1 with inhaling valve 8- andexhaling valve 9. The mouthpiece 10 which may be replaced by a mask, isconnected with the valve case 7 on the one hand by an exhaling pipe 11,and on the other hand byan inhaling pipe 12. The oxygen is supplied tothe air circuit of the apparatus by a tube 13, the mouthpiece of whichis normally closed by a valve 15 which is under the action of a spring14. On the spindle 16 of the valve plate 15 engages a double armed lever1'7 which is journalled at 18. This lever is carried in a specialchamber 19 which is inserted between the cartridge 5 and the respirationsack 4.

. The lever 1'7 carries at its end a flap valve 20, the

valve seat 21 of which is formed by the crater of a throttled-opening22. The opening 22 is made in the wall of a tube 23 which connects thecartridge 5 with the chamber 19.

As will be seen, the arrangement is so contrived that the spring 14 notonly acts so as to close the oxygen supply valve 15 but also the controlflap 20. As soon, however, as the apparatus is in use, there is witheach exhalation of the wearer of the apparatus an excess pressure in thepipe 23 which is able to open the control flap 20 against-the action ofthe spring 14. The consequence is, therefore, that oxygen flows throughthe pipe 13 and the supply valve 15 into the chamber 19 and thus intothe'respiration sack 4. The quantity of the oxygen supplied thereforevaries according to the strength of the excess pressure on one side ofthe control flap 20 created in the exhalation, and according to the massof its movement.

The embodiment according to Fig. 2 differs from that of Fig. 1 only inthat the chamber 19 with the pipe 23, control flap 20 and double lever17 are situated not in front of but behind the respiration sack 4 in thedirection of the air circuit of the apparatus as indicated by arrow, andthus the control flap 20 is actuated by the low pressure created by theinhalation.

The embodiment according to Fig. 3 is substantially identical with theapparatus according to Fig. 1, and differs from this only in theposition of the chamber 19, which in this case connects in theperpendicular direction the cartridge 9 with the respiration sick 4, sothat the plate 15 of the oxygen supply valve does not open with butagainst the oxygen pressure, is kept closed by a spring 14 actingagainst the double lever, and the control flap 20 closes a throttleopening 22 connecting the chamber 19 directly with the respiration sack4.

The embodiment according to Fig. 4 corresponds againto that of Fig. 3with the difference only that the control lever 17 is in this case'aonearmed lever, and the plate 15 of the oxygen supply valve again opensin the direction of the oxygen Fig. 5 shows a special form ofconstruction of the control apparatus according to Fig. 1. The doublearmed lever 1'! carrying at its end the con- .trol flap 20, here actswith its other arm 17" on a 76 valve come 15 movable axially to theoxygen pipe 13 and is on the side opposite the valve cone 15, under theaction of a spring 14.

Fig. 6 shows a special embodiment of the control flap 20 which, in thiscase, is provided with a bent-over edge 20 by means of which the energyof flow of the air streaming through the throttle opening 20 is betterutilized.

Fig. 7, finally, shows a further possibility of construction of thecontrol apparatus. Here, the control lever 1'7 is made one armed and ishinged at 18 It acts through a one-armed intermediate lever 25 on adouble-armed lever 26 of which one end is under the action of the spring14, and the other end of which acts on the valve cone 15 movable in astraight line to the oxygen supply 13.

The control flap 20 can also serve at the same time as respiration valve(Fig. 1) or as inhalation valve (Fig. 2) in which case the separateexhalation and inhalation valves 8 and 9 are dispensed with.

I claim:

1. A closed circuit respiration apparatus comprising in combination arespiration container, a nutrient gas supply, a purifying cartridge, anda throttling device positioned in the path of flow of the exhaled andinhaled gas, means operated by the throttling device to control thenutrient gas supply, the throttling device operating to control thenutrient gas supply in response to the movement of the exhaled andinhaled gas in the circuit.

2. A respiration apparatus comprising a respiration container, anutrient gas supply, a purifying cartridge, and means for controllingthe amount of nutrient gas admitted to the apparatus, the said meansincluding a throttling or cut oil valve positioned inthe path of flow ofthe exhaled and inhaled gases and operated in response to the flow ofthe inhaled and exhaled gases in the apparatus, said throttling valvefunctioning substantially independently of the external atmosphericpressure.

3. The structure defined in claim 2 including a valve for controllingthe admission of nutrient gas, in which the throttling or cut-off valveis operated in response to the flow of the inhaled and exhaled gas, andoperates said valve for controlling the admission of nutrient gas.

4. In combination a closed circuit respiration apparatus comprising arespiration container, a nutrient gas supply, a purifying cartridge, andmeans positioned in the part within the circuit for controlling thenutrient gas supply, the said means being operated by the difference inpressure existing in the closed circuit on opposite sides of saidcontrol means, and resulting from the inhalation and exhalation of thewearer of the respiration apparatus, the said control means functioningsubstantially independently of the external atmospheric pressure.

5. In combination a respiration apparatus comprising a respirationcontainerya nutrient gas supply, a purifying cartridge, and a controlmember positioned partly in the path of flow, the said control memberoperating in response to the difference in pressure resulting from theexhalation and inhalation of the user, the said member serving tocontrol the admission of nutrient gas in direct response to thefrequency, duration, and force of the respiration, substantiallyindependently of the external atmospheric pressure.

6. A closed circuit respiration apparatus comprising a respirationcontainer, a nutrient gas supply, a purifying cartridge, and meanspositioned partly in the circuit for controlling the 15 gas and actuatedby the din'erence in pressure between parts of the circuit positioned oneach side 0! the said means, the said difference in pressure resultingfrom the movement of the exhaled and inhaled gas in the circuit, saidmeans functioning substantially-independently of the externalatmospheric pressure, and a second means, operated by said first namedmeans, for controlling the admission of nutrient gas to the apparatus.

8. A closed circuit respiration apparatus comprising in combination arespiration container, a nutrient gas supply, a purifying cartridge, andmeans partially positioned in the path of flow of the exhaled andinhaled gases for the purpose of controlling the quantity of nutrientgas admitted from the nutrient gas supply, exclusively in response tothe draft caused by the flow of the exhaled and inhaled gas in thecircuit on either side of said member resulting from the respiration,said means including a throttling valve which acts in response to boththe exhalation and inhalation of the user of the device.

LORENZ

